The Second Beldin Civil War
The Second Beldin Civil War was a conflict within the Kingdom of Beldin that occured in 1413. Despite being one of the least bloody military campaigns in the kingdoms history, it none the less had profound effects on the entire valley. Origins The events that led to the conflict are numerous, and seemingly unrelated. Within the adventurer and knight communities, the incident is primarily blamed on Brinnete Leonsmane, a former agent of Malark Lester and grand daughter of Gerald Leonsmane . Her existance was first discovered by Uthgardt shamans, who urged the knights of Astrid to assist them against what they called a witch that had somehow gained control of the Elk Tribe. After some investigation, the knights discovered that the witch- Brinnete- was in fact a bard who possesed mind controlling or influencing powers. Despite the discovery- and several warnings- Gerald Leonsmane took pity on the girl, believing her story about being an unwilling slave, and granted her sanctuary in his fort. As the months passed, she attempted to woo King Aelfred Aelfhiem, who eventually declared that she would be his bride- again, despite many dire warnings from the Astrid Knight's , who long ago concluded that she would attempt to assert control of Beldin from within for her own devices. This fear was confirmed when she used her power to force Aelfred into hostile actions against the Lion Legionairres over what was deemed to be a matter not worth such conflict. That matter concerned the half-fiend bastard son of Aenzka Leonsmane, Talisid. The product of an incubus attack, Talisid was accepted by Gerald as a foster son despite his heritage, much to the chagrin of the Order of the Purging Flame. They frenquently demanded that the Leonsmanes surrender the child to their care, believing only they could ensure that the boy would not become a force of evil. For over a year, the king dismissed their demands, feeling confident in his knight's abilities, untill Brinnete used her powers and coaxed him into demanding the Leonsmanes give in, under penalty of death. Despite the ultimatum, the Leonsmanes were unwilling to relinquish the child, and instead took him to their friends at Astrid. The Astrid Knights , after hearing of the kings unreasonable demands and willingness to turn on a knight who had defended the realm against many dangers in the past, came to believe that this was just the begining. The Assassinations and Siege of the Lion Fort Anezka and Talisid were granted sanctuary at Astrid, while Gerald left to ready the defences of the Lion Fort. Meanwhile, the Astrid Knights planned to have Brinnete, recognized as the root of the problem, assassinated by their adventurer contacts in the guild. The assassination, however, did not go smoothly, as the agents involved were as yet unsure of Brinnetes guilt, and so first attempted to interrogate her. During the debates, Brinnete managed to send a message to the king, before finally being killed. The king in turn sent Ferret agents the very next day to try and arrest Farnol D'gren , though the wizard escaped with his wife, both also seeking asylum at Astrid. Around this time, the Tanghilt estate mysteriously caught on fire and burnt down, killing all the Tanghilts. Meanwhile, as the Leonsmane's four days since the ultimatum were finally up, Beldins army mobilized and lay siege to the Lion Fort . In the days following, Aelfred sent commands to all the nobles and Astrid Keep, requesting aid against the Lion Legionairres. Houses Lester, Gerda, Ferret, and Fearthegn heeded the call without issue. The messenger to Astrid was met by Colonel Feynot Hlalm , whose only response was a request for clarification. Deciding that this was a game, Aelfred declared all of Astrid to be outlaws as well. However, House Nightshade and Greycastle were already approached by the Astrid Knight's about the matter, and both decided to aid them and the Leonsmanes against Aelfred. House Greenwood rejected such requests, and instead attempted to join the kings forces in the south, but were cut off from Karnelynn by Nightshade and Astrid forces. Within days, a combined force of Astrid and Nightshade infantry made their way to the south, where they tried to persuade Lord Lester to pull his army back and abandon the siege. Despite his force being hopelessly outmatched, Darvin Lester refused to back down. The Battle of Straeewood Road and Battle of the Lions Fort The battle at the Straeewood road was quick, and a decisive victory for the northern forces. More effort was spent in a highly successful attempt to simply scare the enemy with showy magic than to kill its soldiers. Amidst the chaos, Officers were targeted and assassinated, quickly sending the army into dissaray and panic. The loyalist forces were in full retreat within minutes of the battle, and Darvin Lester was captured. A few days later, the northern army reached the Lion Fort. Despite being surrounded by the Lions and northern army, the loyalist force here also refused to surrender, resulting in a much more bloody battle than the one before. The Loyalist force was cut down to the last man (not including those turned into chickens by the Lion Legionairres court wizard Andy). Aelfred dissapears The rebel forces decided not to lay siege to Beldin city. Their fight was with Aelfred, not the civilians of Beldin, after all. Instead, it was deemed neccisarry to capture the king, strip him of his crown and replace the Aelfhiem dynasty with the Leonsmanes, who were felt to be the only ones capable of defending the realm after the fact. Lord Ronin Eininfar was nominated to be the agent to pull off the mission, and spent at least two days gathering intelligence on the cities defenses and where abouts of the king. He reported failure after the second day, claiming that the king was nowhere to be found. Despite the claim, the king did indeed vanish without a trace... Days after Aelfreds "dissapearance", Gerald called for a council with the opposition, seeking and end to the discord. During the council, Darvin Lester- who was now released- declared that it was his right to ascend the throne next, and managed to gain the support of the remaining loyalist families. The claim, however, did not change the fact that the loyalist forces were clearly defeated, resulting in them being forced to leave the city and retreat to the East bank of the river. Gerald Leonsmane in turn claimed the throne of Beldin. A tenday after the council, the coronation was held, during which houses Greenwood, Greycastle, Nightshade, Fearthegn, Eininfar and elements of House Ferret swore fealty. The Astrid Knights continued to support Gerald Leonsmane. Aftermath The civil war left the valley in an uncertain state for a while, which led to their being unprepared for the Vasharan invasion that took place mere weeks after Gerald asumed the throne. Despite this, the new King and his knights led the still recovering nation to victory. House Lester was destroyed in the first few days of the attack, having been caught as off guard and with fewer resources. After becoming king, Gerald appointed Lord Eininfar as head of the Beldin intelligence agency, now reformed into S.A.B.E.R. The Ferret and Bounder groups were merged into this singular order, while the remenants of House Ferret was exiled to the Moonsheas, although officially it was termed as being stationed abroad.